Putin Reiterates Strong Bilateral Ties With Venezuela, Blasts Illegal Imposed Sanctions

Russian leader Vladimir Putin affirmed that Venezuela continues to be a strategic partner of Moscow as both strengthen their bilateral ties.

"Russia and Venezuela maintain close or fully coincident positions on the main issues on the international agenda," Putin said during a ceremony.

"We maintain an intense dialogue with President Nicolas Maduro... we intend to continue strengthening bilateral cooperation in all areas, especially in energy, industry, infrastructure, transport and pharmaceutical products," the Russian leader added.

Putin’s statements are in line with the previous statements made by Venezuela.

This comes months after Foreign Minister Carlos Faría condemned from Moscow the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its allies over its invasion of Ukraine, and also criticized the supply of military equipment for reinforcing the Ukrainian army.

“I hope that working in Russia will be interesting for you from a professional point of view and will allow you to better understand our country, our history, and our culture,” Putin told ambassadors.

"You are working at a time when a radical transformation of the entire architecture of international relations has accelerated, when the development of a multipolar and more democratic and fair world order has entered its active phase," the 69-year-old leader added.

This comes not long after Putin ordered the mobilization of 300,000 military reservists, a day after four occupied Ukrainian regions announced illegal referendums to join Moscow.

Under Russian law, they could be between the ages of 18 and 60. But the decree has limited details and a lot remains unclear.

The move is seen as an act of desperation by Russia with Ukraine managing to hold them off and aggressively retake previously lost territory.

Between 70,000 and 80,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in the war, according to U.S. estimates by the Wall Street Journal.

The move to summon military reservists is believed to be due to Russia having more than a few 200,000 troops believed to be in Ukraine.